Monday, 14 May 2012

Anghiti

I chuckled when a friend quite seriously said to me,"Mate. First time eating Indian. Last time eating Indian" after a meal she had that probably resulted in something that bore great resemblance to the curry that she put into her mouth.

It's unfortunate she has now denied her own chance to appreciate a great Indian curry: brown, gluggy...but simultaneously rich and majestic in taste.It's one of those cuisines you love or hate. But depending on the side you look at it from, you'll agree with only half that phrase deliciously ugly: curry is damn delicious or just plain ugly.

My friends aren't TOO shallow and we all know to look beyond just appearance. Apparently beauty is only skin deep but this little beauty resonates deeply through the depth of the bowls they are served in.

And excuse the crap blurry photos, 4 months back I always felt like such a drag making my dining companions wait. Nowadays they just know to wait. Otherwise I shout. (At them) :)Not the other type, where I pay for the food.

Lemon Lime Bitters

Everyone on the table had the usual LLB except me. A few full untouched glasses needed replacements though, after A had a bit of fun in knocking over the drinks and watching the glass fly decadently and golden liquid free flowing across the wooden table.

Staff did not make a fuss out of this, nor the other incidents where she continued her clumsy streak and dropped heavy cutlery on the table...on the floor...and probably on us too.

Tandoori Mixed Platter (Medium) - $29

My friends thought it smart to tell me that dinner started half an hour before it really did.So here I was, waiting for latecomers while I starved. So ordered this platter for myself as a snack while I waited.

HA, just kidding. I know those who know me are thinking, you're so not kidding.This tantalising platter arrived freshly grilled from the clay oven with assorted the proteins of fish, chicken and lamb, with each piece bursting with flavour from the strong marinade.It's a shame this meal for one had to be shared between 6.

Shahi Paneer (Mild) - $16

While we decided against ordering certain dishes because some simply didn't like the ingredients, we ordered a dish I COMPLETELY couldn't touch (eat). I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

This indulgently creamy pot of golden melted cottage cheese smelted together with onions, cashew nuts and yoghurt gravy is mild but nonetheless heavy flavoured.I went all out and indulged in about half a teaspoon of this.

Butter Chicken (Medium) - $18.50

I know D&J make a very subjective judgement on the quality of an Indian restaurant solely based on how they prepare Butter Chicken. I know that's not entirely fair but you're your own master of your appetite :) Who's to judge you on how you judge others?

Arguably one of the more well known names that pop up in thought whenever Indian is mentioned, succulent chunks of roast chicken coated and then drenched with a sauce that is thick, buttery, tomatoey and infused with spices. It's a real delicacy.Where would India be without spices?!Still in...some ocean I guess :$

Lamb Rogan Josh (Medium) - $18.50

This boneless lamb dish is a simmer of brown onions, whole spices and yoghurt. The cooling and soothing properties of yoghurt gives it that medium level of hotness that is easier to handle in the mouth and stomach.

I hate eating hot foods that leave me fanning my tongue, make my eyes leak and have me make hissing sounds throughout the rest of dinner.

Aloo Baigan (Medium) - $15.50

Curry is always associated with the different meats and the delicious ways they are prepared, but all their vegetarian dishes, laden with nearly as also as delicious vegetables are sometimes overlooked. What? Pfft, vegetables? Well pfft, give it a shot.

Along with potato, aubergine (eggplant!) is such a well suited partner to curry. Prepared with and immersed into exotic herbs and spices, the vegetable becomes slightly transparent, soft and full of flavour after soaking up all the rich curry gravy into its flesh.

Jeera Pulao Rice - $4.50

Sure you can eat meat and just meat but you probably, most likely will not do such a carnivorous act.

Indian basmati rice is very distinct, and distinguishable from the usual rice I faithfully eat every day and night. These rice grains are long and can look quite worm-like and I really shouldn't have said that.

This rice doesn't have the usual sticky properties of rice and has a harder texture than the softness of steamed rice. Each grain separates itself from its duplicates in the bowl.

Pickle - $3

So this is what pickle is in Indian cuisine. I did imagine the pickles you find in cheeseburgers at McDonalds.

Apart from the blurriness of the photo, it is quite an accurate depiction of the little porcelain dish holds - a blurry fiery red vegetabley mess.

Aloo Paratha - $5.50

Thin, flat breads with a soft potato filling spread inside arrived in a metal basket, looking and feeling mighty hot. Like rice, bread is such a complementary carbohydrate to have with curry.

It acts just like an absorbent cloth to soak up the curry juices and wipe down all the curry drippings off the tabl...plate.

Garlic Nan - $4.50 and Chilli Nan - $5.50

My memory challenges me and I really can't remember whether why these 2 types of different naan breads were served together. Maybe we were given the option to go half-half when 2 girls were having a b*!#$fight over the table on which bread to choose.

Unlike the paratha before, naan bread takes on a more crispier texture from their thinner style, not housing any fillings inside. Instead, they are flavoured on their exterior, extremely aromatic and taste so good when they are hot enough to burn your fingers.But my lesson is soo not learnt.

...

Claiming to be the Masters in Indian Cuisine with a worn out, faded and visibly weathered restaurant sign post would needs guts and a very good chef to dish out the goodies. Fortunately they do stand out and stand up to this, holding the prestigious position of WA winner of Favourite Indian for 2010 and 2012. Their (lack of) effort to fix that old, battered, discoloured restaurant sign post outside is not reflective of their effort they put into the food that they serve up.

Stepping inside gives a stark contrast to the parking complex outside, a warmly lit atmosphere with a spacious floor plan layout. Located up the back is the kitchen, like a giant fishbowl available for diners to gawp at, watching the chefs busily swimming around inside around their clay oven ornament. This traditional Indian charcoal stove is what they pride themselves upon, the cooking medium fueled by charcoal and wood fire and used to cook all their foods that are fueled with spices and passion.

Deserving of their award, I couldn't fault much of what I tasted. All were aromatic, rich and with intense flavours, glistening with sauce.Checking the menu now seems to show an increase in prices. However at the time I had my Indian fix, the prices were good for value for Indian cuisine with good serving sizes, indicated by my as-per-usual finishing up job when everyone else declares they are full.

I used to think the place looked a bit plain, cold and hollow with a chain restaurant feel attached to it. But my, how time flies and things change. A few years on, it's more cosy, classy and more intimate. Wooden floorboards, artwork on the walls and the warm glow of lights casts shadows in the room amongst the brown and yellow themed atmosphere. The now less brightly lit dining section oozes comfort with decor that echoes the colour of the food itself. Wise!

We needed more time to decide on ordering and waiting around for VERY late people (i.e. 40 minutes) but then staff left us lonely for too long when we said give us a moment :( Late on they were attentive, responsive and quick to come to our rescue when they saw us watering down the place with our Lemon Lime Bitters.

Lack of desserts on their menu meant we conveniently popped over to the dessert store a few doors down for some ice cream - Blockbuster. And the rest of Perth are probably shouting directly at their screen and indirectly at me saying that's a video rental store you twat!

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